1998 Ford Explorer engine problems

Asked by Anita Feb 15, 2016 at 05:41 PM about the 1998 Ford Explorer

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I forgot to put oil in my car for a few
months and also get an oil change, this
past Saturday I decided to check the oil it
was low so I put a quart of oil in. I went out
that night and on my way home the RPMs
revved up to five and six and the engine
felt like it didn't want to move, finally I just
shut off on me. Within a minute smoke
started pouring out of the engine area. I
had it towed to my home the next day and
when I took the oil cap off I noticed black
sludge like, I know it's hard to say without
seeing the engine but does it sound like I
blew my engine? Financially I am unable to
spend $1000 fixing it and wanted
someone's opinion, please help!!!

2 Answers
26,245

taver91 answered 8 years ago

Oil is the lifeblood of your engine. First thing to do is to pull the dipstick and see if any oil shows. Put in the amount indicated (likely more than a quart) and recheck to see that it shows up to the full line on the dipstick. Now try starting the engine. If you are a lucky person, you shut the car down before major damage was done and it will re-start. There still may be damage but lets see if it comes to life first and get back to us.

2 people found this helpful.
Mark helpful
73,310

OJ answered 8 years ago

High RPM's while driving and the vehicle not wanting to move could indicate a transmission slipping problem.

Mark helpful

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